Joaquin Almunia's strongest language was reserved for Nokia, which is in the process of selling its devices business to Microsoft, giving rise to fears that the remaining part of Nokia will make more aggressive use of its patents portfolio.

Almunia said that the commission had dismissed the possibility that "Nokia would be tempted to behave like a patent troll" when it cleared the way for Microsoft to acquire Nokia's devices division - but warned that "if Nokia were to take illegal advantage of its patents in the future, we will open an antitrust case."

This is a real threat. The gutted Nokia still holds a considerable amount of patents, and they've already shown remarkable willingness to sue Android device makers over them. Good to know the EU is on top of it.

The EU now has its very own state-sponsored patent troll? After all of the overblown nationalist rhetoric about how patent abuse is an exclusively-American problem - AND somehow the fault of individual US citizens to boot? I honestly can't decide if this outcome is hilarious, tragic, or poetic... or equal measures of all three.

Then again, this is France we're talking about - the country that practically invented extraterritorial internet censorship - so I guess no one should be surprised.

The EU now has its very own state-sponsored patent troll? After all of the overblown nationalist rhetoric about how patent abuse is an exclusively-American problem - AND somehow the fault of individual US citizens to boot? I honestly can't decide if this outcome is hilarious, tragic, or poetic... or equal measures of all three.

Then again, this is France we're talking about - the country that practically invented extraterritorial internet censorship - so I guess no one should be surprised.

A down-mod from someone too spineless to reply? Bwahahaha, I never could have predicted THAT reaction!

Probably just a singular anomaly, though. I'm certain it couldn't have any of the people here who routinely go out of their way to affect faux-amazement every time something negative about the US is mentioned... no doubt those folks will be along to express their outrage over France Brevets' actions.... any minute now (*cough*).